


The Language of Flowers

by MiraculousMinion



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 03:19:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraculousMinion/pseuds/MiraculousMinion
Summary: "How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?"or the one in which Adrien owns a flower shop and is very confused.





	The Language of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos on my last work. You guys make me smile. This is just a fun little drabble based on the tumblr prompt from demisexualmerrill. https://cupidsbower.tumblr.com/post/145960730310/flower-shop-au

“How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?”

Adrien jumped in his chair as someone slammed their hand down on the counter. The book he was reading fell to the floor, landing on its spine. Adrien scrambled out of his seat and grabbed the book, marking his page. He placed it on a shelf under the counter, then stood up to face his newest customer.

The first thing he noticed was their height difference. He was a whole head taller than this woman. Her black hair was in a short French braid. Large blue eyes stared at him from a round face. Ladybug spots adorned the simple earrings in her ears. One thin eyebrow lifted as she waited for his answer. Her hand was flat on the counter. Part of a twenty dollar bill stuck out from under it.

As far as appearances went, he had to say she was quite cute.

She tapped painted nails on the counter. “Hello?”

Adrien blinked at her, then at the twenty dollars. He was at work. Right.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” he asked.

“How do I  passive-aggressively  say fuck you in flower?”

He almost asked her to say it again. Since opening his boutique, he’d seen some weird people walk through the door. Some of the requests were so bizarre he thought he was being pranked. This fell under that category.

“Uh, why?” He was  slightly  scared of the answer.

“Revenge.”

“Against who?”

“A frenemy.” Her foot tapped  impatiently  on the wooden floor. “Do you know how to say it or not?”

“Yeah. You need geraniums, foxglove, meadowsweet, yellow carnations, and orange lilies.”

“Great. I’ll take a bouquet of those.” She slid the twenty dollars further across the counter.

“. . . Okay.”

He moved out from behind the counter. The woman trailed behind him as he bustled around the shop, grabbing flowers as he went. He took a moment to sniff each flower he grabbed, smiling went the sent hit his nose. One of the best parts of working in a flower shop was the smell. It always smelled like spring and sun. Coming here always brightened his day.

“What do those flowers mean  separately ?” the woman asked as he grabbed three meadowsweets.

Adrien pointed at each flower in turn as he spoke. “Geraniums mean stupidity. Foxgloves mean insincerity. Meadowsweets mean uselessness.  Yellow carnations are ‘you have disappointed me’-“ she snorted at that- “and orange lilies mean hatred .”

“What an interesting language,” the woman said. He had a feeling she was teasing his knowledge of the language of flowers.

“I think  it is,” he shrugged. He took the flowers behind the counter and asked, “Do you want these in a vase or wrapped?”

“Wrapped.”

“Any preferred color?”

“Whatever you think looks good. You are the expert.”

Adrien grunted at that. The bouquet was a bit odd looking, what with it being five  differently  shaped and colored flowers.  Small red geraniums, the tall purple foxgloves, the white meadowsweets, the puffy yellow carnations, and the bright orange lilies . Not a typical combination of flowers. So he grabbed a piece of burlap and a string and tied them around the flower stems.

“Might I get your name Mademoiselle?” he asked while he worked.

“Marinette.”

“Marinette,” he repeated. The name seemed to fit in his mouth  perfectly . “A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”

“Are you flirting with me Monsieur Florist? We’ve only  just  met.”

“Ah well, you know what they say. Life is short. Why not take risks.”

He finished the knot and turned around to present the finished product. Marinette was leaning against the counter, watching him. The morning June sun shone through the windows of the boutique. It caught her hair, turning it blue and creating a halo around her. In that moment, Adrien could  confidently  say she was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

He held the bouquet out to her, bowed  slightly . “Here you are My Lady.”

“Why thank you.”

Her hand brushed his as she grabbed the flowers. It was soft and warm. Heat rose in his cheeks. He’d only  just  met her, but he already knew he  was doomed .

“How much do I owe you?” Marinette asked.

“Twenty dollars.”

“Exactly?”

“Yes.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. “ I feel  like you’re giving me a discount.”

Adrien shrugged. “It’s my shop. I can charge whatever I want.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow, but the smile came back to her face.  Adrien grabbed the twenty dollar bill still lying on the counter and entered the order into the register .

“Do you want a receipt?”

“No. Thank you.”

“Then you’re all set.” He gave her a charming grin, one that made girls swoon when he was a teenager. “Have a wonderful day My Lady.”

She looked at the paw-prints on his shirt. “You too _minou_ .  Maybe  I’ll see you again,” she added as she walked away.

Adrien watched her go, leaning his elbows on the counter. The bell above the door chimed as it opened and closed.

“I look forward to it,” Adrien murmured.

——————————

“So how’s Nathaniel?” Adrien asked Chloe.

The girl in question opened the stairway door to the floor her apartment was on. She reached into the purse hanging from her arm and began fishing for her keys. Her heels clacked  loudly  on the wooden floor of the hallway.  Even after years of being friends with her, Adrien still didn’t understand how she could wear those and not break her ankles immediately . He’d tried once—per her request—and fallen on his face immediately. She still had the video on her phone.

“He’s good. He entered another art competition, although he won’t show me the painting he’s competing with. Says it’s a surprise,” she mocked.

Adrien smiled at his friend. Her keys rang together as she pulled them out. A metal 37  was attached  the the face of the door they stopped in front of.

“Maybe  it’s a picture of you,” he suggested as Chloe slid the key into the lock.

“He’s made pictures of me before and I’ve seen  all of  them. Why should this one be any different?”

The door swung open  soundlessly . Adrien closed it behind him as he followed Chloe in.

“I guess you’ll  just  have to wait and see then.”

Chloe scoffed. “I hate waiting.”

Adrien  just  shrugged and looked around. The apartment hadn’t changed since the last time he was here. It was still a bit weird to see Chloe living in an apartment that wasn’t decked in red and gold everything.  Compared to her old room at the Grand Paris, her apartment with Nathaniel was almost minimalistic  . That was  probably  Nathaniel’s doing. He was good at balancing Chloe out.

The far wall  was taken  up by two windows that overlooked the street. A white couch sat a few feet in front of the wall, a glass coffee table in front of that.  Another couch  was pressed  against the left wall, and a brown chair  was placed  at the front right corner of the table . A light gray rug threaded with brown covered the floor. It was all very bright, and the light from the windows didn’t help. Adrien could see a doorway in the far left corner of the room. It lead to Nathaniel’s art studio which also doubled as Chloe’s work area. She had gotten much better at sharing since the two started dating.

Adrien took a seat on one of the couches, back to the windows. Chloe put her purse down on a table in the entryway. Nathaniel’s bright red hair poked out from the kitchen. He smiled at Adrien.

“Hey.”

“Hey Nath.”

“Hello Red,” Chloe said. She gave him a peck on the lips as she passed.

“How was lunch?” Nathaniel asked.

“Same as always,” Adrien told him. “Chloe tells me you entered another competition.”

Nathaniel walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel. “I did. This one-“ he looked at Chloe- “isn’t allowed to see the painting yet.”

“So I heard.”

“I don’t understand why,” Chloe said. She flopped down on the other couch. Nathaniel dropped the towel on the kitchen counter and came over to join them.

“It’s a surprise,” he said  simply .

“I hate surprises,” Chloe grumbled.

“That’s a lie and we all know it. You  just  don’t like waiting for surprises.” He sat next to her, laced their fingers together. “Trust me, love. You’ll like this one.”

Chloe still didn’t look happy, but she didn’t argue further. Nathaniel smiled and looked at Adrien.

“How’s the boutique?” he asked.

“It’s good. I’ve been getting a bit more business recently which is nice.”

Nathaniel nodded.

“I’ll swing by in a few days,  maybe  sketch some flowers.”

His face lit up like he’d reminded of something. He released Chloe’s hand and got up, disappearing into the kitchen again. He reappeared holding a bouquet. The flowers in it looked a bit odd together, a mix of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Adrien’s brow furrowed as he looked at it. It looked  really  familiar.

Then his jaw went slack. His eyes widened.

“Speaking of flowers,” Nathaniel said. “These  were delivered  earlier. They’re for you.” He held them out for Chloe.

“Aw, you got me flowers?” Chloe asked as she took them. She brought the bouquet to her nose and sniffed.

The redhead shook his head. “I didn’t buy those. I don’t know who did. There’s no name.”

Chloe examined the flowers, then raised an eyebrow. She snorted like she knew something the boys didn’t. “Well, this wasn’t what I was expecting her to do, but I’ll take it.”

Nathaniel gave her a questioning look as he sat back down. He draped his arm over her shoulders.

Adrien was still looking at the bouquet with shock.

“Chloe,” he said.

“Hmm?”

“Who gave you those flowers?”

“Marinette. I’m sure I’ve mentioned her before.”

He  really  hoped this didn’t sound creepy. “Does Marinette wear ladybug earrings?”

Chloe frowned. “Yeah. How do you know that?”

What were the odds? Of all the people in Paris, of all the flower shops, what were the odds that Marinette came to his to buy a bouquet. What were the odds that the bouquet happened to be for his friend.

The odds were very high  apparently .

The slack-jawed look turned into a smile.

“Oh that’s funny,” he said.

Nathaniel and Chloe were both looking at him with confusion.

“What’s funny?” Chloe asked.

“Well, first of all, that bouquet means fuck you in flower.”

Chloe blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “How do you know?”

“Because I made it.”

“. . . Come again?”

He was grinning now. Nathaniel was as well. He seemed to understand what Adrien was saying before Chloe did.

“Marinette came into my shop about twenty minutes before we had lunch and asked me to make a bouquet. That bouquet.”

Chloe was quiet for a moment as she processed his words. She looked at the flowers, then back at him. Then she looked at Nathaniel, who was trying to contain his laughter. Her mouth opened, then closed. Adrien could see the gears working in her brain as she tried to come up with something to say. Her usually elegant vocabulary failed her.

Finally, she settled on, “She’s cute, no?”

Adrien’s face went as red as Nathaniel’s hair. Nathaniel burst out laughing.


End file.
